Classic Power, Classic Spot
CSXT train R004-13 with 100 empty system steel hoppers on the headpin is headed back to the Pennsylvania coal fields from Granite Shore Power's Merrimack Station in Bow, New Hampshire on CSXT/Pan Am's Northern Mainline. Historically the plant, which was built by Public Service Company of New Hampshire in 1960 (unit 1) and 1968 (unit 2) was one of the Boston and Maine Railroad's most important customers. For decades an average of one 100 car train per week served the plant, and in 2008 (the most recent I could find online) over 534,000 tons were delivered. But in 2015 the plant transitioned from a base load station pumping out 482-megawatts from its two units to a peaker plant operating only during periods of extreme intermittent demand when generation is needed quickly to maintain electrical system stability on the grid. Today it remains, quite controversially, as the last coal fired plant in all of New England, and unit coal trains are few and far between these days. In fact this was the first one since the summer of 2020 (though a handful did run to Selkirk last winter and get cut up and sent in blocks on regularly scheduled manifest trains) so it rightfully drew lots of attention from local fans which was great to see.
I missed the loads going north last weekend, but with perfect timing I decided to forgo a little sleep and try for the returning empties. This was even more of a treat since CSXT assigned the power off of M427 which was an old school classic quartet of two SD40-2s and two YN2 painted AC4400CWs. CSXT 8822 is right at home here on the old Conrail Boston Line (the original Boston and Albany) as she was blt. Sep. 1977 as Conrail 6413.
They are sailing west near milepost 75 in the Village of West Warren alongside the Quaboag River. The dam was built in 1890 to power the adjacent Wright Cotton Mill complex and the waterfall it created has been beloved by photographers ever since. Remarkably, the mill complex with buildings constructed in stages between 1866 and 1912 remained in industrial use until 2006.
Warren, Massachusetts
Wednesday December 14, 2022
Classic Power, Classic Spot
CSXT train R004-13 with 100 empty system steel hoppers on the headpin is headed back to the Pennsylvania coal fields from Granite Shore Power's Merrimack Station in Bow, New Hampshire on CSXT/Pan Am's Northern Mainline. Historically the plant, which was built by Public Service Company of New Hampshire in 1960 (unit 1) and 1968 (unit 2) was one of the Boston and Maine Railroad's most important customers. For decades an average of one 100 car train per week served the plant, and in 2008 (the most recent I could find online) over 534,000 tons were delivered. But in 2015 the plant transitioned from a base load station pumping out 482-megawatts from its two units to a peaker plant operating only during periods of extreme intermittent demand when generation is needed quickly to maintain electrical system stability on the grid. Today it remains, quite controversially, as the last coal fired plant in all of New England, and unit coal trains are few and far between these days. In fact this was the first one since the summer of 2020 (though a handful did run to Selkirk last winter and get cut up and sent in blocks on regularly scheduled manifest trains) so it rightfully drew lots of attention from local fans which was great to see.
I missed the loads going north last weekend, but with perfect timing I decided to forgo a little sleep and try for the returning empties. This was even more of a treat since CSXT assigned the power off of M427 which was an old school classic quartet of two SD40-2s and two YN2 painted AC4400CWs. CSXT 8822 is right at home here on the old Conrail Boston Line (the original Boston and Albany) as she was blt. Sep. 1977 as Conrail 6413.
They are sailing west near milepost 75 in the Village of West Warren alongside the Quaboag River. The dam was built in 1890 to power the adjacent Wright Cotton Mill complex and the waterfall it created has been beloved by photographers ever since. Remarkably, the mill complex with buildings constructed in stages between 1866 and 1912 remained in industrial use until 2006.
Warren, Massachusetts
Wednesday December 14, 2022